Arizona- A Natural and Historic Wonderland

After spending a few short days in northern Arizona in 2016, I have been planning to go back for an extended trip. That opportunity arose in April, and I was very fortunate that Cathie was also able to go on this trip. It’s always more fun to share amazing experiences with someone else.

Sedona and the Grand Canyon were on our list, as Cathie was only able to join me for the first few days of the trip. During Cathie’s time on the trip, we also visited the meteor crater outside of Winslow. Having seen it in photos, I still was surprised how massive the crater is. Not only did the size of it amaze me, but there was the added bonus of having incredibly strong winds, gusting to will over 60 mph. The winds were due to two storm systems in the area.

After Cathie had to return home, I still had two full days on my own before I returned home. I was not sure how I would fill those days, but after doing some research, discovered there were sites in around the Flagstaff and Sedona region that I was not previously aware of.

Montezuma Castle National Monumenthttps://www.nps.gov/moca/index.htm– A Sinaguan cliffside dwelling built somewhere between 1100 and 1300 AD.

Montezuma Castle- Infrared

Tuzigoot National Monument https://www.nps.gov/tuzi/index.htm– the remnants of another Sinaguan village, built between 1000 and 1400 AD.

Tuzigoot- Infrared

Montezuma Well https://www.nps.gov/moca/planyourvisit/exploring-montezuma-well.htm– A limestone sink formed naturally ages ago, continuously fed from the bottom. The Sinagua irrigated their crops with its waters. And the remains of their cliffside dwelling above the well still exist, as seen in the photo below.

Montezuma Well- Infrared

Wupatki and Sunset Crater Volcano National Monuments https://www.nps.gov/sucr/index.htmhttps://www.nps.gov/wupa/index.htm both are within 20 miles of each other, separated by part of the Coconino National Forest. The volcano last erupted around 800 years ago. Thousands of people were farming in the nearby Wupatki pueblos, and they witnessed the eruption. They vacated the area not long after, but the structures they built remain to this day. You can hike the lava field at the base of the volcano, then drive to Wupatki to see how people lived when the volcano last erupted. The prairie between the two sites is one of the most astonishing landscapes I have ever seen.

The Lava Field Below Sunset Crater Volcano
Wupatki Pueblo
Coconino- The Prairie Between Sunset Crater and Wupatki

These are places everyone should see. And there are even other sites that I have learned about but have not yet seen. There will be another trip, I have barely explored the wonders this state has to offer.

First Road Trip for 2018, Part 5

Wednesday, May 2.

We had breakfast at the cabin, and prepared for what we knew was going to be the toughest day of the trip. There are two very strenuous distance hikes in the park, and we wanted to do at least one of them on this trip. We chose the Ramsey Cascade’s trail, because it seemed that it would be the easier of the two, on paper. The waterfalls at the end of the trail are the tallest in the park. The last photo doesn’t do them justice, they are about 60-70 feet tall.

We arrived around 9:15 am at the parking lot at the trail head. The trail is about 4 linear miles one way, and we knew from what we had read that it was uphill most of the way to the falls. While I had not really trained for this kind of hike, I was confident. After all, this is not one of the trails chosen by the Navy SEALs for BUDs training. So we set off with the idea that we would be back to the car by mid afternoon.

We got back to the car a little over 9 hours later.

There is about a 2,200 elevation change one way. I was carrying over 40 lbs of camera gear, with plantar fasciitis in my right foot, two herniated discs in my back, and a surgically repaired right knee. But, none of that stopped me. It just meant that the going was slow. And it was for all of us. We had to make numerous stops on the way up. And when I say it is uphill, it’s steep in several spots. And, the last 1/8 of a mile was basically climbing over and around huge boulders, there wasn’t really a “trail.”

 

We brought provisions for the hike. It was one bottle of water for each of us, and one granola bar. For the entire day. By the time I had gotten to the 3 mile mark (going up), my granola bar was gone. And I finished the water before I got to the waterfalls. So, there were no provisions at all for the return hike.

When we finally got to the falls, Cathie had already sat down on the big rock in front of the falls. I put my gear down, and lay down flat on the rock on my stomach. I didn’t kiss the rock, but it was the same idea.

Cathie christened this “the hike from hell.” I will not disagree. She and I also made a suicide pact on the way back down. It was brutal. My legs were hardly holding me up as we were heading back down the trail. I tripped over my own feet, over rocks, branches, tree roots, you name it. And you know what? I would do it again. Because with all this being said, the pay off was incredible. And even with all this, there were spots that were achingly beautiful along the way. They had put narrow log bridges across some sections of the stream. I paused at these just lose myself in the moment, the water rushing below, the wind in the trees, and no other ambient sounds. In those moments, I truly understand what John Muir meant when he said “Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature’s peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares drop away from you like the leaves of autumn.”

I used up everything I had that day on that hike. It took my legs several days to really recover from it. Walking was not easy, but even worse was the hill we had to walk up and down to get to and from our cabin. And the stairs in the cabin to and from my bedroom really, really sucked. But these were just muscle aches. My foot, back and knee held up fine.

It was a day we all will never forget.

 

First Road Trip for 2018, Part 4

The adventure continued on Tuesday, May 1. We got up extremely early in order to catch sunrise from the location we had scouted on the Foothills Parkway. We arrived just as dawn was breaking. The valley below the overlook had a farm with some cows grazing, and due to the temperature, there was a mist hugging the valley floor. It was serene. As the sun cleared the mountains on the horizon, I was able to catch the sunburst over the valley (the featured photo). While the sky itself was not overly dramatic, it was still a great sunrise. We spent the better par of an hour there, then, headed back to cabin for breakfast.

At the start of the trip, I mentioned to Cathie that I really needed to get a haircut. I didn’t have the chance to do it before I left. My day job had been extremely hectic that week, and, Saturdays are my normal haircut day. But, we were in Kentucky on that past Saturday. Cathie thought this whole thing was strange, but, hair doesn’t cut itself. And, I’m all about supporting local businesses. After breakfast, I called the place I chose, and made my appointment, and Joe also took advantage and scheduled an appointment as well.

As our appointments were at 12:30, we decided to kill some time and played a round of miniature golf. On my trip to visit Cathie last August, we played a LOT of miniature golf. We also were battling some very harsh mid-day light, so, we had to find other ways to occupy ourselves. As much as sunny days are nice, and they are, for photography, they do not work well. After the first round of golf, we got lunch, then went for our haircuts. Cathie was still bemused by this whole thing, and got some photos of Joe and I as we were getting our haircuts.

Afterward, we played another round of golf, and the second course was much more fun than the first one. By the end of that round, we had gotten to later afternoon, the light was starting to improve, so we went to Roaring Fork Nature Motor Trail. There are some great hikes to waterfalls, but we didn’t have the time to do either one, so we drove the loop road until we got toward the end. There is an excellent roadside stream among some large rock formations, and the water was running strong. I navigated through the stream, trying not to hurt myself on the very slippery rocks, and set up for a couple of long exposures in the middle of the stream. Whatever it takes to get the shot!

We spent well over an hour and a half there, and the light was starting to fade. Since the light was no longer ideal, we did not stop at the old mill at the end of the motor trail. Instead, we headed back to the cabin, had dinner and relaxed a little. And we thought we were prepared for what awaited us the next day.